Health Care Reform in Wisconsin Update
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On January 27, 2011 Governor Walker signed Executive Order #10 to establish the Office of Free Market Health Care. The Office will be directed by the Department of Health Services and the Office of Commissioner of Insurance. According to DHS the office “will ensure that Wisconsin maintains a vibrant, competitive health insurance market that is consumer driven and is based on free market principles.” This month, the office launched its website: www.freemarketheatlhcare.wi.gov. It is possible to subscribe to updates by following the link of that name. Anyone who wants to stay informed about how the Walker Administration plans to implement the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act should subscribe.
The Governor is interested in developing “a consumer driven, free market health care coverage purchasing exchange” rather than creating the health insurance exchange model as presented by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. As a part of the effort to design this alternative, the Office of Free Market Health Care launched an online survey to gather input from various stakeholders impacted by the creation of a health insurance exchange. Specific parts of the survey are tailored to individuals, small employers, small employees, insurers, agents, brokers, and health care providers. The survey can be found on the site’s Exchange page. All individuals who have or will acquire health insurance should visit this site and complete the survey.
The Exchange page of the website also indicates:
The Office of Free Market Health Care (OFMHC) is seeking stakeholder input on the design of a potential Wisconsin Health Insurance Exchange. There will be two exchanges with one convenient access point; one for individuals and one for small employers.
The exchange will be a marketplace where individuals and small businesses can purchase health insurance. It will also be a primary vehicle for Medicaid eligibility determination and enrollment. The OFMHC is working to update and improve the prototype below. Take a test drive of our Health Insurance Exchange Prototype.
How the Medicaid piece will be included in the exchange has not been described in detail, so it will be important to keep up to date as the exchange is created.
